


Alternative Routes

by Charlotte_Lancer



Series: Flight Plan Series [2]
Category: The Grand Tour (TV) RPF, Top Gear (UK) RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming Out, F/M, Friendship, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Sort Of, brief mentions of alcohol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 21:22:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20264707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlotte_Lancer/pseuds/Charlotte_Lancer
Summary: Sequel to Flight Plan. Richard and Jeremy have some important discussions with their wives, and their coworkers.





	Alternative Routes

**Author's Note:**

> I should preface this with the fact that I have never once been in any sort of relationship, and my IRL reaction to important emotional discussions is usually something along the lines of 'run away', so if I have in any way messed something up, or written something wrong or offensive, please let me know so I can change it.

The first thing Richard did upon returning to England was talk to his wife.

Well, no, the  _ first _ thing Richard did was exit a plane, followed by picking up his luggage, and then taking a cab home. But still, the point stood.

He and Jeremy had eventually agreed that if they were going to do this, they would have to come clean and face the consequences. Well, come clean to their wives, at least. They had no plans to tell their kids, the general public, or even their other coworkers, but Richard wouldn’t- couldn’t- lie to Mindy, and if Mindy knew, so would Francie.

Richard wasn’t quite sure what he was going to do if one of their wives said they couldn’t have this, but he was determined to avoid that line of thinking unless it became necessary. He and Jeremy hadn’t done anything since their ill-advised airport kissing session, but something had changed between them, and neither of them wanted that change to go away.

Richard let himself into his house, and found Mindy waiting at the kitchen table, two mugs of tea laid out in front of her.

She stood when he walked in, and he went over to take her into his arms, greeting her with a lengthy kiss.

"Hello, love," she said, tilting her head up to press another, shorter, kiss to his mouth.

He smiled down at her, and lowered his hands so that he could pick her up. She jumped up, wrapping her legs around his, and they continued to 'greet' each other for some time.

When the kiss ended several minutes later, and they were standing again, still pressed together, Richard looked down at her, and said,

"I love you." 

"I love you, too." She reached up a hand to run through his hair, and said, "Now, what's bothering you? You seem distressed."

He swallowed, trying to figure out the best way to say what needed to be said. Finally, he took a deep breath, and began to speak,

"I did something I probably shouldn't have done, especially not without talking to you first." He couldn't quite meet her eyes as he spoke, instead staring at a loose thread on the shoulder of her pajama shirt.

At her questioning look, he recounted the whole story- waking up pressed against Jeremy, realizing that Jeremy had feelings for him, realising that maybe those feelings weren't exactly unreturned, kissing Jeremy in a public airport terminal, both of them trying to avoid being left alone together for the rest of the trip, yet at the same time wishing they could be.

Mindy listened to his explanation in silence, nodding along at various points in his story, and the many apologies that interspersed it. Her face betrayed no reaction, and Richard wished she'd do something, even if it was to yell at him for his infidelity.

When he was done, Mindy gave a final nod, and said,

"I can’t say I’m thrilled about this, but…" she sighed, "Realistically, nothing I say is going to change how you feel about Jeremy."

Not quite sure how to answer that, Richard stayed silent.

"I thought so," she said, nodding with an air of resignation.

"Mindy, I swear I’d never- if you said- I" he reached out to her, taking her hands in his.

"I know, Rich, I don't doubt that." She stepped forward to rest her head against his. "But I’m not going to make you make that promise.”

“Mindy?” he couldn’t quite keep the hesitation out of his voice. He hoped he knew what she meant, but if he was wrong…

Her voice was soft when she answered. “This is clearly something that’s going to require a lot more conversation that just this- with Jeremy and Francie, too- but I’m not saying no, Richard.”

They stayed leant against each other for another silent moment, before Richard drew her up into another kiss. For a long moment, the only sound was the tick of the wall clock, counting the seconds as they went by.

………………………………………..

It was several days before it was possible to coordinate a discussion between all four of them- a discussion that went far better than Richard had dared hoped for, even in the privacy of his own head- but eventually, rules and expectations were laid out, discussed, and agreed upon by all parties. They were going to attempt to keep things quiet- the less people who knew, the less chance of the press finding out- but they’d agreed that they had to tell James and Andy, since it would be almost impossible to hide it from them for any length of time.  _ And Richard really hoped that length would be a long one. _

……………………………

Deciding to tell tell James and Andy, and actual telling them, however, were two very different tasks. Over the course of the next week, Richard and Jeremy thought up and discarded several different plans for telling them, ranging all the way from the simple 'call them and come out with it outright' to truly outrageous plans involving far too much risk for potential property damage. In the end, though, they decided to tell them over drinks at the pub, where they could back out of the plan at any time without either James or Andy suspecting anything was out of the ordinary.

When filming wrapped on the last day of the week, Richard proposed a night out, and soon enough they were seated around their usual table, drinks in hand. Richard and Jeremy were seated on one side of the table, with James and Andy sitting across from them, as far apart as the booth would allow James to get. There was a casual air to the night, for which Richard was grateful, as it eased some of the tension he had been holding in anticipation.

Still, they were several rounds in before either Jeremy or Richard found the courage to bring up their new-  _ relationship?  _ Richard wondered,  _ is that the right word for it? _ \- and then only because James had made a joking comment about the way Jeremy had ended up right next to Richard over the course of the evening, getting closer with each return from the counter.

_ 'Like a couple of teenagers on a first date',  _ he’d said, eliciting a laugh from Andy,  _ 'I half expect Jeremy to pull the fake-yawn maneuver.' _

Richard had froze, and next to him Jeremy was equally still. After a moment, Jeremy put a deliberate arm around Richard's shoulders, not bothering to disguise it as a stretch or yawn.

Richard stared James in the eye, defiant. James gave them both a calculating look, and then said,

"You're fucking with us." James looked over to Andy, looking for his agreement, but Andy had an odd expression on his face. Andy gave them a thorough look-over, taking in the way Richard was relaxed against Jeremy's arm, the way they leaned together on their booth, and the slightly nervous expressions that they were both trying their hardest to conceal, and said,

"No, James, I don't think they are."

“Oh,” James’ voice had no expression in it, and Richard swears his heart stops before James continues with, “that calls for another round, then,” the hint of a smile starting to creep onto his face as he goes to obtain one.

While James is gone, Andy offers his surprised but still sincere congratulations, and thankfully refrains from asking any questions about their relationship, their wives, or any of the other things that must seem patently odd to the outside observer.

Instead, he smiles at them from across the booth, and slides further in when James returns with drinks in hand. Under the table, Richard rests his leg against Jeremy’s, leans further into the arm wrapped around his shoulders, and relaxes as the four of them settle back into their previous conversations. It feels good not to hide, even if it’s only to James and Andy, and soon they’re all laughing about something or other that’ll surely be less funny when they’re sober, but for now, at least, surrounded by the warm comfort of friends, the night feels like the best night in a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> All comments/feedback/criticisms are welcomed.


End file.
